Tombstone epitaph., 1887-09-24
RUNNING A NEWS PAPER.

The editor of the Nogales Record was in moralizing mood last week, and ut tered the following words of wisdom:
 It undoubtedly looks like easy enough work to run newspaper. and also makes one believe that large profits would result, but from exper- fence, we have found it to be exactly the op- posite. It's the hardest most trying, and at times the most dscouraging vocation in the world, and to start paper, to bring it up to a successful, paying, permanent standing is Her culean task that but few men ever accomplish Thousands of financial failures and wrecks are often backed by wealth and years upon years of the hardest toll that man ever endured A nice little home paid for, sure little monthly salary only ten hours for days work, and Sundays your own, will bring more genuine happiness than four-hfths of the editors and publishers of the world ever knew.
 This is all true. The EPITAPH and Record from the sublime height of success can look down upon and heartily sym pathize with worthy contemporaries which are struggling to avoid the rocks and shoals of amateur journalism. On ly the experience gained in bossing gang of Chinese section hands, or the still harder and more wearing life on a jim-crow cattle ranch, where one is com pelled to wear out twenty-dollar pony in locating nine.dollar steer, can prop erly fit a man to run an Arizona news paper. The Record and EPITAPH have passed through that fiery ordeal and have reached the goal of greatness.
 It is all mistake to suppose that course in school ofjournalism is at all necessary to prepare man for the light and airy life of an Arizona editor. It is not question of mind SO much as mat ter; not question of education so much as appetite. Appetite An! that is the one thing that never deserts him--the one friend that is never appeased. It is always with him. On occasions when the honest granger lays his pumpkins or eggs upon your table, you fear you will lose your friend, but the romancing pros pector comes in with samples of rich ore which he has discovered and wants writ ten up, and your appetite returns with re- doubled vigor.
 The exchange fiend and the man who bilks you for subscription and adver- tising go arm in arm in strewing your pathway with roses.
 In settling up an estate, the printing bills are always the last paid, ,and if there is nothing left the printer gets left. You boom a mining property for years, wear out innumerable palrs of brogans in tramping over the flint hills, also wear out your Fabers in rose-colored descrp- tions, and when there is to be an appli- cation made for patent for the mines the "bonanza king" will go from one printing office to another and endeavor to beat you down on your established prices. You are bound to get beat Tn one way or another, so you might as we'll sub. mit.) The life of the average Arizona editor is short and merry one, but the life of his paper is often shorter.
 The above picture shows what our struggling contemporaries have :o pass through before they can attain the posi- tion occupied by the Nogales Record and the EPITAPH. With these two great papers (both weekly) the subscribers in variably pay in advance, the advertisers pay on presentation of bills, without de- falcation, discount or kick, and the bank account of each shows a good balance That's the way to run newspaper on the frontier.
 ENka .-..